AWWA WQTC64181

Growing population coupled with limited freshwater resources is forcing many Colorado municipalities to consider membrane desalination of lower quality resources to provide potable water. In locations where traditional concentrate disposal options are feasible, the time, effort, and cost of implementing these options are increasing. Thus, while membrane desalination production costs have been decreasing due to technological advances and competition, concentrate management costs have grown and thus concentrate management costs are becoming a larger fraction of total plant cost. As more and more municipalities are discovering, concentrate disposal can be expensive and can be the critical factor in determining desalination plant feasibility. With these challenges it is imperative that concentrate management be considered early in desalination project planning to avoid later project delays. The challenges are most critical in the Denver Basin where desalination plants of medium and large size are not being built because cost effective concentrate disposal solutions cannot be found. This paper reviews the broad context of municipal desalination plant concentrate disposal in the United States and then focuses on the disposal challenges specific to the Denver Basin. The paper borrows substantially from a forthcoming book entitled "Membrane Desalination Technology" for which the author contributed a chapter on concentrate disposal. Includes 14 references, tables, figures.